27 April 2010 Paddys Castle from Bungonia Creek
Map: Caoura 1:25000
Getting There
This walk was organised and led by Brian S as a CBC Tuesday walk:
Tuesday 27 April Paddys Castle from Bungonia Creek M-L/R/pt X. Bungonia - Red Track - Bungonia Crk - Slot Canyon - upstream to base of first waterfall -Paddys Castle - Jerrara Crk - Yellow Track - Bungonia. Great views, steep descent/ascent, scrambling, rock hopping. Maps: Bungonia, Caoura 1:25000. Leader: Brian Surin (02) 4358 0209, brianscbr@yahoo.com.au Transport: ~$100 per car, $25–$33 per person + park entry fee.
2 of us from southside drove to Belconnen and we were whisked in the big Pathfinder to meet Brian at Bungonia.
Further Information
Photographs
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Walk
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| Track |
We (the party members behind the leader) agreed that this was hardly a walk. We began with a brisk run (so it seemed) down the Red Track starting from the Lookdown car park and near Mt Arye down to Bungonia Creek.
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| The Red Track from Mt Ayre to Bungonia Creek |
Down at Bungonia Creek, we turned upstream and tackled the blockup - no walking, just rock scrambling. Rocks the size of houses to scramble up, tunnel under and skirt round. Bungonia Creek runs under.
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| Walls above the blockup | 1 Negotiating the blockup downstream of Bungonia Slot Canyon | Negotiating the blockup | Walls above the blockup |
At the top of the blockup, the going leveled out into the Bungonia Slot Canyon. Huge walls up to 100m high on either side. The creek reappears - some interesting rock faces.
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| Contorted rock faces in Bungonia Slot Canyon |
At last we were through the canyon and back to rock hopping up the creek. The water must pound down here at times. Several trees with exposed bases had large river rocks imbedded in their roots. A smell at one place - two dead eels in a dried up pool - a slow death.
The rocks soon increased in volume to house-sized and our hopping once more became scrambling. You needed to concentrate and the scramble up gigantic slabs to our luncheon pool made me puff. The video clip '2010 04 27 Bungonia Creek Falls' imbedded above will give you an idea.
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| Lunch pool and falls on Bungonia Creek |
Ever since exiting Bungonia Slot canyon and scrambling SW up Bungonia Creek, Brian had been checking out exits from the creek which would get us up to Paddys Castle. The original plan was to return down Bungonia Creek after lunch to a suitable place. But as we sat (and with encouragement from Kaz), Brian formulated a gleeful plan - a direct ascent to Paddys Castle. Much discussion as to which side of the huge diamond-shaped house-sized rock above us we'd go.
We began the ascent at 12.10pm and it took 1hr 30mins to cover the nearly 300m up and around 700m across the ground. The video clip '2010 04 27 Paddys Castle' imbedded above will give you an idea. The lose scree was a little hairy, but at last we could see the wind in the tree tops on the spine below our destination. We scrambled the final metres up and along to the top. Absolutely huge views!
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| 2 Start of direct ascent to Paddys Castle from Bungonia Creek | Frome Hill from direct ascent to Paddys Castle |
After a bite of arvo tea sheltering out of the wind, the next leg took us NW down to cross Jerrara Creek, then down the creek to the top of the falls. This area is just as impressive on a second visit.
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| Looking down to pool at top of Jerrara Falls |
Just about all over bar the shouting now. A climb up to the lookout at the end of the Yellow Track, an admire of the super views, then a 4.3km trudge back along the Yellow and Green Tracks to the car.
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| View down to Jerrara Creek from lookout at end of Yellow Track | 3 Devils Pulpit in Bungonia Creek - an interesting shape | Devils Pulpit and view above |
A top day, thanks Brian. Glad it was worth your 8 hours of driving - he was extra happy, as he could not recall another CBC party taking the direct ascent in 15 years of club membership. Thanks also to Mark B and Kaz C.
Distance: 12.3km Climb: 600m. Time: 9.00am - 3.55pm (call it 7hrs), with 50mins of stops.
Grading: M/R,ptX; H(12)
KMZ file for Google Earth/Maps: Paddys Castle from Bungonia Creek
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This page last updated 16Aug22